A Couple Additions

It has been a busy week.  We got our replacement rug from overstock.  Unfortunately it was STILL the wrong rug so UPS picked it up and we are trying again.  Hopefully the saying "third time is a charm" has some street cred and they will deliver a traditional style blue wool rug to my door tomorrow.

In addition to the continuing rug saga, I took a walk to downtown Noblesville last Sunday while J was at work.  I ate lunch at a bakery that just opened and wandered through the various antique stores in the historic town center.  Most of the items were either over priced (I am knowledgeable of these things thanks to my persistent ogling of craigslist) or crappy.  I did happen upon a gorgeous antique dresser with mirror at the Logan Street Antique Mall - and it was on SALE! 

I have been looking for one forever.  Okay, not forever, but for at least the last four months or since this post.  Well, after being thwarted several times by other quick buyers or our low bank account, I was finally in the position to purchase this great dresser.  There was a catch, as there always seems to be.  It was on HOLD.  Someone had spotted it before me.  After speaking with the woman who runs the antique mall I found that I could be listed second on the hold.  If no one picked it up by Tuesday, I could purchase it myself.

Luck went my way and I am now the proud owner of an antique dresser!  It has two small drawers and two large drawers, a swiveling or tilting mirror, and casters for feet (though we found that they are more for show than for actual rolling). 

J and I put it near the back door as a place to dump our things as we come into the house and it also serves as a great place to hide other items like the tape roller for the cat hair, umbrellas for our spring weather, and a leash for our future dog (always planning ahead).  :) Though it blocks part of the lovely octagon window, the mirror (which needs to be cleaned a bit) actually reflects lots of light and makes the little nook appear much larger than it really is.  I am so happy with the purchase!

I also finally took photos of our new window treatments for the back door.  On our way home from Chicago we stopped by Ikea and purchased a few things for the house.  One steal of a deal was the "last chance" tv console that you can see in the prior post about our fantastic new rug.  Another purchase was a very modern sliding window panel system.  I am sure there is some Scandinavian name for it, but we just called it the sliding window panel thingy.  Ikea sold panels of fabric in various levels of opaqueness, pattern, and color.  These panels could be cut to any length and would clip into the sliding system.  Instead of pulling your curtains aside, you could simply slide the entire panel over.  In addition, the panels could be layered (up to three in the system we purchased) to make the window seem more artistic or personalized.

Anyways, we got the whole system home only to realize the slider portion we bought was too short for the doubt doors in the back (only one actually opens).  Thwarted again...or at least it seemed that way at the moment.  After hemming and hawing over the whole thing, I decided that we would just buy some cafe curtain rods, sew a pocket in the panels, and be done with it - after all, those dog chewed, plastic, faux wood, blinds could not stay in the house a moment longer!

We did find out that our back doors were metal and would allow us to put up magnetic curtain rods.  Not only did that save a tremendous amount of time and effort since we didnt have to drill new holes in the door, but we can move them or take them down as necessary, all without screwdriver.  Its pretty nifty.  In order to get the panels to hang straight as intended, I made another pocket at the bottom and J cut a dowel rod to the width of the panel.  Perfection!  The fabric we chose lets just the right amount of light in, keeps our neighbors from getting too friendly, and we can still see the backyard through them.  We are pretty pleased with these new additions.

There is our "new" patio set and the left side of our totally awesome BBQ!

Internet Marketing Genious

I think its google's fault.  Recently I have been shopping for things for the house online - imagine that!  I

almost never find what I am looking for but most of the time I am just shopping for ideas rather than tangible items.  Evidently the powers that be at google have been taking notice of my window shopping tendencies and have placed appropriate ads in the google reader screen at the bottom of each feed. 

Before now, the ads have not even warranted a second glace - that is until I saw this little gem.  Is it not the most fabulous drawer pull you have ever laid eyes on?!  Its angular and sparkly without being over the top.  Its a bit edgy and completely unique.  How did google know that this would be the handle I would love above all others? 

Seriously though, there are four drawers with absolutely no pulls in the guest bathroom and a cabinet that you have to pry open with your finger nails.  These are a perfect solution.  They work especially well given that I am looking to make a shower curtain for the bathroom with this striped Waverly fabric that matches the curtain in the guest bedroom.  The stripes in the curtain will be mimicked in the handles!  The handles are a bit pricey but its not preventative.  At $9 a pop thats only $36 for new drawer pulls and $12 for the larger handle for the cabinet. 

I am still working on what to paint the cabinets with in the bathroom.  The walls will eventually be grey Porpoise by Behr but the floor is tile has both tan and grey swirls in it.  The grout is a tan color (and probably needs to be redone) and the counter top is in decent shape and is a solid white-ish color.  I am thinking of using the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation kit as seen here: http://cabinets.rustoleumtransformations.com/

I think the Pure White color with the glaze would add a bit of interest to the natural oak cabinets without clashing with the counter top, floor, or wall color and also will not be too matchy matchy.  I still have to swing by Home Depot for a sample or two to make sure thats the color I want, but the kit is supposed to be easy to use, damned near impossible to screw up, and its blogger approved!  Its also Rustoleum brand so you know the product is going to be durable.

We did end up priming both bedrooms and the hall way last weekend with help of the FIL so stay tuned for before and aftter pics in the near future.

Our Friend Craig

We have made some great Craigslist purchases recently.

There is the white, soon-to-be-yellow, night stand that I bargained down to $50 from $100.  Who would have paid $100 for it is beyond me, but thats not the point.  The point is that I got it 50% off!

Then there was the shabby chic, barn red buffet that we purchased for the kitchen.  The sellers even delivered the item and all for a cost of $70!  The buffet needs a little work, mainly a new paint or refinishing job, but it looks great in the dining room and provides us storage for those little things that we are still using too frequently to put away in the garage, such as measuring tapes and sanding blocks.  The fact that we got an entire solid wood buffet for the same price as the little white night stand (we paid $20 to have the buffet delivered), makes the shine of the night stand a little less bright, but hindsight is 20/20 and the night stand will soon be beautiful - so there!

Then there was the addition of the sewing box.  I had had my eye on a similar one for $100 but it was black and red and didnt really match our decor.  Plus, at the time, I hadnt fully adopted sewing, so getting the box for a future hobby didnt seem like a wise purchase.  I found this one for $65 and it was in near perfect condition with natural wood finish and three full tiers of storage.  I tried to negotiate its price down to $50 only to settle at $60.  Hey, it was still a $5 discount - thats nearly 10% off!

The last purchase I made was a bit stealthy.  I found a bench that could double as a coffee table for the couch in front of the fire.  The idea was that we wouldnt have to sit in front of the tv when we were watching movies on our computer and we could instead enjoy the glow of a warm fire in the back ground.  It was $25 and I ended up paying full price mainly because I was too lazy to haggle over $5.  Its real wood and in pretty good shape.  There is storage in the seat of the bench and J is fairly certain that its an old piano bench.  I dont have a photo of it since its pretty standard and wont look quite right until we get a rug under it.

As we are totally spent at the moment, there will be no more purchases from Craig although I am keeping my eye out for a dining room table and an antique dresser with a mirror like the one pictured below.

Something Wonderful!

I found something wonderful today on Craigslist.  I had spotted a similar item on craigslist before but it was painted too darkly for my taste and they were asking more than I wanted to pay for it.  This piece is much more my style since its natural wood with a thin varnish and the price is just about right.

Its an antique sewing box!  And it will serve multiple purposes.  I am in need of a place to put all my sewing crap.  That hobby certainly contributes to the build up of stuff such as scissors and thread and needles and scraps of fabric so its good to have a place for all that.  My previous storage solution was a plastic bag from Joanns.  While the bag helped contain all the sewing stuff, you cant set your coffee on it, or a picture frame, or even admire it for its creative structure and aethetic appeal.  You can do all that and more with this antique sewing box. 

Just look at all that storage!

The best thing is that it doesnt require any work so its not another project piece and it doesnt require a long drive across town to pick up since the current owners live in my same town.  I think it will be great as an occational table between the two chairs in the living room.  I can hardly wait to bring it home with me!

No More Projects

It has been suggested, by J, that I not purchase any more project pieces of furniture until we get some of the current house projects out of the way.  For instance, we still need to paint the entry, hall, both bathrooms, and both bedrooms.  I need to complete the curtains that I started the other day for the Master Bedroom and start the curtain for the guest bedroom once the fabric arrives (its beautiful and I got it 40% off at Joann.com with free shipping).  I will also need to strip or repaint the buffet and repaint the cute bedside table I bought for the guest room. 

Thats not THAT many projects!  Ha!

I would like to add one more project to the mix.  I want an old 5-panel door and I want to replace the panels with mirrors and hang it on the wall in the dining room over the buffet.  I am not sure if J will go for it or how to even replace the panels with mirrors, but I figure even if it doesnt end up in the dining room, it would make an interesting piece some place in the house.

The picture above is the inspiration I am drawing from.  They ended up putting pictures in place of the panels and hung it on the wall as I would like to do.  The bold color is a great touch but I think semi-gloss white paint bordering the mirrors would make something slightly country a bit more elegant.  Imagine the image below rotated and hung on the wall rather than on hinges...

Dining Room Tables

The buffet arrived yesterday and is great.  Its worth at least $100 even though I only paid $50 for it.  It needs a thick layer of paint but is a perfect length and depth for the dining room.  The kitties loved exploring it yesterday too - must have had some interesting smells.  Its not quite as red as I thought it would be but is a brick tone thats a bit more subtle.  It will work until the weather gets good enough to take it outside for a thorough sanding.

With that piece of furniture introduced to the dining area, I was inspired to find some dining tables that might work in the space.  I would ideally like to seat 10 people with the leaves in and want to try a bit more of an eclectic look by incorporating chairs of different styles.  I was hoping to find some with an upholstered seat so I could unify them through a textile but we'll see how that goes.  Gotta get a table first. 

The tables I found are on the pricey side - for us - but I think its possible to find something similar on craigslist or at the auctions that I have just discovered in the area.  They will already be a little loved but they will also be a lot cheaper.

I tend to like the classic style and think the one with colored legs might work best with the eclectic look I am hoping to achieve.  I particularly like the little floral pattern on the legs that is reminiscent of the Victorian era.

Furniture Wish List

With the kitchen walls and most of the trim painted, we are taking a bit of a breather before launching into the massive and certainly paintful process of painting all our kitchen cabinets.  My Dad had the nerve to ask "Are you going to paint the inside?"  Um, hell no!  No one needs to see the inside...the doors will be shut.  We want the project to take one weekend not one entire month!

In the meantime I have been doing a bit of craigslist shopping with no luck what so ever.  Somewhere in the last few months or so I have developed a fondness for mid-century furniture pieces. I am not certain if my love for danish modern is shared by J, but we will soon find out if I can find a piece that is both affordable and stylish. 

We are looking for a coffee table for the living room and also a low credenza for our flat screen.  Here are a few items I think might fit the bill though I have an inkling that the style may have never made it to Indiana!

I have to admit that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the first credenza.  I was hoping that we could get something similar made to hide our washer/dryer but I dont know what we'll end up with just yet.  Personally, I think the elevated furniture makes the room look larger and I find myself drawn to raised dressers for the bedroom as well.

Isnt this just gorgeous?

And this one - I am not too certain its practical and I am fairly certain J would totally hate it - is completely wonderful and my sweaters would look perfect in it!

I know some of you are thinking about how you chucked a coffee table just like that one about 25 years ago or how you couldnt wait to get a dresser with fancy metal nobs or pulls rather than the plain front danish models.  I find the clean lines of scandinavian furniture pleasing and am not a fan of cabinet hardware, probably because there is so much ugly stuff out there, so these pieces are just what I am looking for.

Maybe something like this is next???